Secular changes in body weight and stature of male adolescent laborers

Authors : İzzet DUYAR, Ali Rıza CAN, Derya ATAMTÜRK

Pages : 20-28

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Publication Date : 2021-12-29

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :It is well-known that there are positive secular changes in the growth patterns of children and adolescents in many parts of the world. In this study, an answer is sought to the question of whether there is the same trend in the growth of boys working as apprentices. For this purpose, body weight and stature values of two previous studies in Ankara, Turkey were reanalyzed, the first of which was conducted in the mid-1980s and the other in 2000 on children and adolescents working under similar conditions. Data from two studies show that there is a positive secular change in the growth of apprentices over a 15-year time period. The secular gain is 1.1 kg/decade in body weight and 0.7 cm/decade in stature. This generational increase observed in apprentices is less than the gain seen in the general population of the same ages, both in Turkey and in high-income countries of Europe and North America. These findings reveal that although there is some improvement in the living and health conditions of adolescents working as apprentices in Turkey, these conditions are still at suboptimal level.
Keywords : Child labor, secular trend, human growth and development, anthropometry